


You’re a wizard, Alex

by Kristinaraven99, Mariiamo



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, But actually both of his parents suck, Henry Laurens' A+ Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, Its like hogwarts but not really, M/M, Magic School, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Roommates, Sorcerers, Underage Drinking, a lot of awkward silence guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28528311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristinaraven99/pseuds/Kristinaraven99, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mariiamo/pseuds/Mariiamo
Summary: Alexander just wanted to help his neighbor with his parents, but ended up going to magic school with said neighbor. Now he has a chance to be something more then just a clerk.Medieval magical AU
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	You’re a wizard, Alex

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this during a new years party. at night. on my phone. becouse new year is so ~magical~
> 
> might as well not continue this. but really, should i? if so, tell me in the comments. couse it might be a very long au...

Alexander couldn’t focus on his writing. The sound of storm was bringing him out of the writing trance over and over again. It was a fairly rare occasion. Usually he could focus on his work and it was hard for him to keep track of time. Today, though, was different. His intuition told him, something was wrong. The words skipped through his mind, his hand moved without him knowing it. He knew better then to make mistakes and waste paper, so mindless writing wasn’t an option. 

He worked as a clerk for his adoptive father, a merchant. The work was quite easy, but the punishment for any flaws was way too harsh. Alexander knew his guardian’s instructions: better put aside the work and do the bigger amount for the next day, then do the job poorly and waste time, ink and paper. 

Alexander stood up from his desk. He felt his muscles beginning to ache from how stiff they were for a long time. He walked to the window. Looking from a window always helped his sore eyes, even though the sight was not very pleasant. The cold grey street was empty, the raindrops streamed down the glass, making it impossible to see anything clearly. Something caught Alexander’s eye through the blur. It was movement across the street. 

Right in front of him, the door opened and two people exited the house. The women was yelling at the man in front of her. Though Alexander couldn’t make out the words, it was easy to guess the topic of the fight. The woman was holding, what it looked like from the window, a loaf of burnt bread. The guy looked defensive, but his posture, his lowered head, showed that he was ashamed. The woman was waving the bread in front of him and, as an indication of the end of the conversation, threw the loaf on the street. It probably started softening under the pouring rain. The woman threw up her hands one last time and entered the house, closing the door behind her. The man followed her, trying to get in, but stumbled right in front of the closed door. He started knocking nervously, but soon gave up, sitting down on the ground, his back to the door. He was under the roof, safe from the rain, but was still probably very cold under the biting wind. 

It only now occurred to Alexander, that the man on the street was John, baker’s son. And the woman was, probably, his mother. Alexander didn’t know John well but he seemed nice while selling bread. He always smiled and was polite to the customers. He was a year or two older then Alexander. John didn’t deserve being out on the street during a storm. 

Alexander quickly walked to the door, hearing loud snoring from upstairs. Without thinking twice, he opened the door. He was momentarily blown over by cold wet wind. John’s head jerked at the sound. Alexander couldn’t make out clearly, but it seemed like he was crying. Alexander made a hand gesture, trying to tell John to walk over. Alexander really hoped that it would be enough, because he didn’t want to shout or make his dress shirt wet. 

John seemed to understand and ran across the street. Alexander smiled when he saw John kicking the softened bread on his way to Alex. When they both were in the house, John was already wet. 

“Hi” John said. He looked at Alexander cautiously.  
“I’ll get you a towel” said Alexander instead of a greeting. “Try not to wake my father up, he will put you out on the street. Make yourself comfortable.” 

They sat together at the dining table. It was awkward at first but after a little amount of wine, they were both more willing to share. John told Alex about his family. That was, indeed, his mother. Apparently, John had burned the bread and made his mother angry. They were struggling financially right now and wasting food was inadmissible. He told Alexander that she needed time to cool down, but until, at least, morning he was stuck on the street. Or with Alexander. He was also left without supper but that was not an issue, as John said. Alexander knew the feeling well. 

In exchange, Alexander told John that he was stuck with his guardian until he was 18. And life was not exactly idle. No details, but the point was clear. Alex made a tempting offer to help John with his parents if they didn’t take him back home. Alexander knew, he could be pretty convincing. John gladly accepted the offer. They both spent the night talking and fell asleep just a couple hours before dawn. 

Alex woke up first. He’s never really had a need of sleeping for eight hours anyway. John was asleep, face on the table. Alexander’s back told him that he had slept in a similar position. Alexander listened to his surroundings and figured two things: one - the storm’s passed, two - his father was still asleep. Both facts were very fortunate for them. He woke John up carefully. John looked even more tired then last night. 

Alexander quietly served them some breakfast, made of cheese and bread. Not much, but John looked like he needed that. They silently ate their breakfast and stood to leave. When they made it to the front door, Alex heard footsteps and the soft creak of the stairs. That sound momentarily made his heart drop and he yanked the door open, practically shoving John out of the house. He made a frightened face at him and hissed ‘wait’. He closed the door and turned so he was facing the stairs. 

His father was descending, grunting, looking, to say the least, out of shape today. He clearly didn’t see their night guest, he seemed really deep in his own thoughts right now. 

“Good morning.” Alexander said. His father looked at him, not really paying attention. He went straight to the table, eating the leftover bread. “I’m going out for a little bit. I’m going to finish work as soon as I’m home.” he reported. His father nodded, swallowing his breakfast and making a large gulp of wine.  
“Of course you will.” He said finally. He narrowed his eyes a little when Alex moved towards the door. “How much work do you have left? You were working all day yesterday.” The last part sounded accusatory.  
“I wasn’t feeling well.” Alexander said simply. The mad nodded once again and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Alex knew that if he wasn’t that hardworking he could be in trouble right now, any other worker certainly would be. His adoptive father knew, that only very bad condition of mind could keep Alexander off work. Usually it was his intuition telling him that something was wrong or that he was in danger. 

Alexander didn’t waste any more time and walked to the door. He left his house and saw John, waiting for him. They silently walked to John’s house, trying to avoid puddles. 

They reached the place and John hesitantly knocked. A women opened the door, wiping her floor-covered hands with a towel. She looked annoyed. She raised her eyes at Alexander questionably but John quickly assured her that Alex was his friend. It was a back door so they were in the kitchen (and the bakery) when they entered. The smell was delightful.

John’s mother returned to her work, when they were approached by a man, probably John’s father. He looked angry as he started talking. 

“Son. We need to talk about something very important.” He started.  
“I’m all ears.” John said stubbornly, understanding the hint to send the guest away but standing his ground. The man sighed but continued.  
“Your carelessness... costs too much for us. What you did yesterday made us with you mother think about your place in this family. I wish I could forget about this but it was not even the first time! And I’m going to make sure it was the last.” His voice was strict and firm. John looked like he was about to interrupt him after every second word. He was looking more and more upset, when his father stopped his rant. His mother, who was now also in front of John, continued his father’s speech.  
“You are eighteen. And we have other children to take care of. We cannot afford throwing away every tenth loaf of bread! John,” she made a pause, closing her eyes. John was shaking a little at this point. “I think it’s time for you to leave.” She finished. Not a hint of regret in her voice. Alexander was ready to interfere, to tell John’s parent how cruel that was when John started talking. His voice was shaking, his face red, eyes glassy.  
“You are going to leave your son on the streets over a loaf of bread? If you actually took your time to teach me I could be a baker! I never asked you for more then you could give! Never!” He was full on crying now. He was pointing his finger at them while talking. Though, more like yelling. “I gave you respect, I did everything you asked! And all I wanted in return was your respect. I never asked you to love me. Do you think I would be here if I had another choice?!” 

His parents looked frightened. Alex didn’t know much about their family, other then what John told him, but they didn’t look like loving parents anyway. They didn’t look like his mother. So Alexander assumed that what John told them was fair. Meanwhile, something caught his eye. The bottles and dishes were slightly shaking. When Alexander looked around he noticed that everything was moving a little. Like the storm returned but inside the house. Alexander looked out of the window and saw the morning sun. While John continued, the dishes around them were moving more and more.  
“You didn’t give me anything! I don’t understand! How did I deserve that?!” John was crying. His hands were clutched in fists. Alexander realized that it was John who was doing that. His fists were glowing with blue light. It felt like the ground was moving.  
“John...” he tried, but he wasn’t heard.  
“You treat me like I’m not even your child! You don’t treat my siblings that way! So what is wrong with me that you hate me so much?!” The dishes were now falling on the floor making a lot of noise. John didn’t seem to care. His parents were wearing an equally horrified expressions.  
“John!” Alex tried again. Everything started falling even more. The windows flew open, the cupboards started falling on the floor. John’s mother screamed in horror.  
“Why?! Why do you hate me?! I’m just like everyone else! This is not fair!” John was also screaming now. The ground was shaking so much now that John’s parents both fell on the floor. They were trying to crawl away from John, but suddenly everything around them started flying, forming a circle, like a hurricane.  
“John!!!” Alexander grabbed John’s shoulder. He startled and turned around so he was facing Alexander. Everything started flying around in a circle very fast.  
“What?!” John shouted. “And you! You promised! Promised to endorse me! To help me! You lied! Everybody lies! Why?!” Alexander nervously watched as the circle of objects tightened. The blue light was now brighter. He heard John’s parents scream. He figured that if he doesn’t do something right now they all end up dead. With a corner of his eyes he saw the Laurens’ crawling under the flow of flying objects. He was relieved for a second but not for long. He and John were both still in danger. And he had no idea what to do with John’s breakdown. Meanwhile the hurricane was getting tighter. And the closer it got, the more it frightened Alexander. He had to do something now!  
“John you have to pull yourself together or we both die in here!” Panic took over Alexander, the flying objects got so close that they were to touch them in a matter of seconds. Alexander covered his head with his hands, clenching his fists tightly, and squeezed his eyes shut. He was ready for inevitable pain, but it never came. The room felt silent except for John’s sobs and Alex’s heavy breathing. Alexander slowly and carefully opened his eyes and was stunned. The objects stopped in the air, a tight wall of them surrounded Alexander and John, inches away from their bodies. And Alexander’s fists were glowing emerald green. 

He looked around then. Then back on his fists. Then at John. He was still crying but now there was a small light of realization in his eyes. He also started looking around himself. Alexander didn’t know what to think, he moved on reflexes, on intuition. He clenched his fists even tighter and thought about moving the wall of objects down. For some unexplainable reason, that was exactly what happened next. Everything that surrounded then started descending down, quickly, at first, but more smoothly, when Alexander took hold of himself. They reached the ground and then took their previous places, or at least the way Alexander remembered them. When he finished, the glow faded. John’s hands also looked normal now. They stared at each other. Neither knew what to say. John swallowed loudly. In the silence of the room the knock on the front door felt deafening. 

Alexander was the first one to move. He went to the direction of the door, noticing that John’s parents were nowhere to be seen. He took a deep calming breath and opened the door. The man behind it looked very unimpressed, bored even. He was wearing some robes, like he had been pulled right from his house. He was bold, his face didn’t show any interest in what just happened to this house. While thinking about it, Alex realized, that he didn’t know if anything was happening to the house from the outside. He assumed, that probably not. So he decided to say something safe.  
“Sorry, we are closed!” He said hurriedly, trying to close the door. He wasn’t fast enough, the man held out his hand, not allowing the door to close. Alexander raised his eyebrows, but didn’t have a chance to say anything as the man pushed the door open and let himself in. 

“My name is George Washington. I am the head of the First school of sorcery, wizardry and witchcraft on this continent. I came as soon as I felt a large burst of magic of unregistered sorcerer. I inform you that all newfound powers must be registered, all magicians must be carefully taught to a level, where they don’t pose a threat to society. So, who is the sorcerer? They must come with me.” The man said, walking towards the kitchen.  
“We are not going anywhere!” Alexander said, realizing his mistake too late.  
“We?” Washington chuckled. “Now that is interesting.”  
When he approached the kitchen he slowed down. His movement were more careful and measured. He looked around the room, stopping his gaze on John.  
“Well hello.” He said. He now looked intrigued. “My name is-”  
“George Washington. I heard.” John interrupted. “John Laurens.”  
“Can someone tell me what happened?” George finally asked. 

John and Alexander exchanged a look. They told Washington the short story: a conflict between John and his parents has awoke John’s power and a life-threatening situation - Alex’s. When Washington asked for more details they had to give the full story. He seemed very intrigued when Alex mentioned the color of his powers, but didn’t say anything about it. Somewhere in between the story, Alexander mentioned his name and the fact, that he lives across the street. 

“Well, that was entertaining, but you have to get ready to leave.” When he saw the boys opening their mouths to argue, he raised one hand and continued. “I apologize for my grumpiness before, but that is exactly what I don’t like about my job. Tons of convincing. This and the horse ride back to the school. Anyways, back to the topic. Can’t you just agree that it is for your own safety and it’ll take one year unless you want to continue your studies and become professional wizards? It is a free education, after all. Please, just trust me when I say that arguing will only waste your time. Now, some important information. I’ll be escorting you to the school. Tomorrow morning. On horses. The ride will take about three days. About education. You are obligated to get one year course, where you learn to control your powers. After that you get a choice. You can leave and live your lives or you can stay for a deeper course of study. Then you get to work as a wizard. You will learn about your job opportunities later. The course of magic is quite individual. Magic by itself is varies from one sorcerer to another. You get your own personified course with different subjects. You also will learn about that later.” His voice was calm, he spoke slowly. 

He said his goodbyes and reminded them the time and place of tomorrow’s meeting. He walked out of John’s house through the front door, bumping on John’s parens right outside. They stood there, talking for awhile. Alexander couldn’t register Washington’s or Mr. Laurens’ deep voices, but he heard John’s mother’s speech clearly. She looked at her husband and said ‘We are loosing a breadwinner, after all’. They talked a little more and then Washington took out a small bag of gold. He handed it to John’s father, said something else and left. Alexander was no fool. He understood that John’s parents just traded their son for a small bag of gold. Probably said something about John’s value in their house. How hard it would be without him. Alexander felt sick thinking about them. 

He noticed that John was not, in fact, looking their way. He was facing the wall, deep in his thoughts.  
“Are you alright?” Alex asked John carefully, trying not to startle him while putting a hand on John’s shoulder.  
“Yes.” John said, not looking away from the wall. He took Alexander’s hand that was on his shoulder with his own. He lightly squeezed it, reassuring Alex that he was alright. “Everything’s just starting to make sense now. The way they never loved me. The way they were afraid of me.” John didn’t need to specify who he was talking about.  
“They don’t deserve you, John. They are disgusting people.” He squeezed John’s hand back. “We have to stick together now, you know? Be strong. One thing I know about sorcerers is that they might give us a hard time just because we are not from magical families. Especially if we are sticking around for a longer time. I know, that it is hard to get a job in the court without powerful friends behind you. And when I say powerful I don’t mean the magic.” Alexander said. John finally looked at him, his eyes were glassy.  
“You are so calm about this.” He said, his voice was shaking. Alexander felt slightly nervous, last time John was crying they almost died. “And you know so much about magic. Did you know you were a sorcerer?”  
“No, I didn’t. I know all that from reading.” Alexander explained. “I could tell you what I know. Which is, let’s be honest, not much.” He chuckled a little, trying to sooth John’s nerves. It seemed to work, Alexander felt John’s body relaxing. He registered that they were still holding hands, but figured that right now John needed physical contact more then any other time.  
“Tell me as much as possible.” John’s asked Alexander.  
“Well, I don’t even know where to start-” he was interrupted by a loud cough. 

John’s parents stood there, watching them. John made a move to let go of Alexander’s hand but Hamilton didn’t let him. He looked at them with his best look of contempt. 

“It’s your last night in this house. Your bags are packed. Please, don’t come back.” His mother said, her head up high. With that she walked upstairs. Alexander thought that it was not very good day for business as they didn’t sell any bread since morning, nor did they make any. John’s father stayed in the room. He walked closer. Alexander stood straighter, preparing to attack if necessary. 

“Here’s my advice, son. Stay there, become a sorcerer. Try to rise above your station, get to the court. You’re certainly not a good baker and I doubt you can go higher then that if you get back here.” Mr. Laurens looked serious, his tone was final. After that he also left their view. 

They stood there, in the silence. Just the two of them, listening to each other’s breathing and thinking about their futures. Finally, John looked Alex in the eyes. Not a hint of his previous distress on his face. He looked sure, determined. 

“I’m never going back here.” 

...

Alexander and John came back to Alexander’s house later that day. John’s had his bags with him. He couldn’t bring himself to spend any more time with his parent, so Alexander suggested they sleep in his house. 

He found his father in their common office, working in something. He looked way better then in the morning. Alex couldn’t believe that just a day ago he was writing on one of those tables and now he was preparing to go to a magic school. His father stopped his writing to look at him. He took off his glasses.

“You are quite late.” He said.  
“I know. Sorry. A lot happened. All you need to know is-”  
“You are a sorcerer. I know.” He put his glasses back on and continued writing. Alexander was stunned.  
“You knew?” Alex said, scandalized.  
“Of course not.” His father explained, not breaking from his writing. “One very persistent gentleman visited me today. Said that you are going to enter his school and you leave tomorrow. He made himself very clear, that I do not have a say in this matter. And offered a small compensation for the inconveniences.” He made a hand gesture, pointing the other table. There was the same-sized bag of gold that Alexander previously saw. At least now he felt better, knowing that John’s parents didn’t get a special treatment while lying about how much of a lost John will be.  
“Did you haggle?” Alexander asked. For some reason it was the only thought on his mind. His father looked up from his papers, looking at Alex, trying to read his face. He then sighed and looked away.  
“No.” He said simply. “It’s more then enough for you.”

That hurt. Even though he knew, that the man didn’t have any fatherly feelings towards Alex, it was still painful. He always tried his best as a worker and being sold like so many things the man vended felt humiliating. At last, Alexander sighed and turned around, ready to go. 

“That’s John. He will sleep there tonight.” He left no room for disagreements. He knew that since he was leaving, his father might as well let that happen. He just had to be confident about it. His father didn’t comment it. 

John and Alex entered his room. John put his bags on the floor, near the door. Two bags. John’s whole life was in two bags. Alexander couldn’t blame him, his life would probably take even less. Alexander’s bed was still made from the last morning. There was not enough room for the two of them, but it was still better then sleeping on the dining table. Alexander started packing his own stuff. John sat on his bed, looking around nervously. 

“You could try again and tell me about magic.” He suggested. Alexander didn’t break from packing. He sighed and thought about where to start.”  
“Magic is old as people. The legend says, that the first sorcerer was a man, who prayed so much, that his gods decided to gift him powers, equal to his their own. The man’s kids inherited his talents and, with their father’s lessons, spread them around the world. As I know, sometimes magic sleeps in people for their whole life and they don’t know about it. But in a family with parents-sorcerers there is a bigger chance of waking the power. The powers are very different. The legend says, that each god gave that first man a power. And in the end, he had so many, that he was almost invulnerable, invincible. But he was such a good man (and that’s why the gods gifted him in the first place) that he never used that against others. His children, though, inherited one or two powers each. That is why all sorcerers are different. Some can control only natural phenomenons, I think that’s yours, some can heal, some can control human’s will and read minds. But depending on how well you study and how naturally gifted you are, you might be able to master many of them. There are books. I read one that was about a boy, who mastered nine. That is incredible. And he died young because his friends envied him and killed him in his sleep. I know, that’s barbaric, but that was a long time ago, I hope it’s better know. I don’t even think that it was true, mostly sorcerers can master three or four powers at most. It is in your best interest to master as many as possible. The competition is crazy. The best students get to be the court sorcerers. It is the mist prestigious occupation for a magician. The job consists of entertaining nobles during peacetime and helping warriors during war. Only best get to work in court. It is also very common for princesses to marry the sorcerers so their children get to be magicians. Doesn’t work all the time though. There are other jobs. City sorcerer (only in big cities), town healer, merchant of magical goods and professors in school, of course. Anyway, things I know about the school. There are twelve departments, each one for a different power. I might not list them all right now, but I’l try. There is a department natural phenomenons, disasters, mostly, probably yours. The name speaks for itself, I think. And you yourself made a small earthquake and a hurricane with your bare hands. Now I’m not sure, but I suppose my power is psychokinesis - controlling objects with my mind. There is also the department of telepathy and mind control. They come together, even though not everyone can master both. Also there is one power that I don’t really understand. Something connected with self magic. It’s complicated. Basically, it’s people who can change themselves and their appearance, their bodies, make themselves stronger. I don’t know. These guys don’t get quite high, because they are the only thing in life they can control. Not very useful for the kings, isn’t it? There is a department of healing magic, you might even have seen those sorcerers. The coolest power, in my opinion, is making things out of the air. Can you imagine that? Poof and you are not poor anymore! A different power, but I think those two are connected, is making objects out if other objects. I recon that these sorcerers are the luckiest ones. Now let me think what else... oh! There is a department of foretellers. And a whole different department of those, who can see future in their sleep. Not sure, where’s the difference, but there must be one. Ummm, there is a power of those who can control, change and correct people’s feelings. And a department of people, who can communicate with animals and plants. Wouldn’t want that one, to be honest. Okey, I don’t remember any more. And we are lucky that I just know about that particular school, the first school of magic. If it was any other I wouldn’t remember anything other then the name. How many did I list? Did you count? I didn’t. Whatever.” Alexander made a small pause.  
John just shrugged, consumed by the story. Alex smiled, he was glad that John finally seemed less stressed. “Actually, I’m not using magical terms correctly. I might be wrong but I’ll try to explain. Magic and magician is a common word. A wizardry and witchcraft is something we learn later, after the first year. You see, there is natural magic, the one we have, and there is a humanly made magic. Spells, potions are wizardry. We don’t get to learn it if we sign up only for a year course. Sorcery is something we already know, but need to learn to control. Wizard usually refers to a male magician, witch refers to a female, but you can use a word sorcerer for both if we are talking about natural powers. Common folk cannot be wizards, as I know.” He made a pause there, smirked and then continued. “Oh, look at me, a new sorcerer, already calling other people ‘common folk’.” John laughed at that. Alexander smiled at the sound of his laugh. “Well, what else do you want to know?” Alexander asked at last, tired of all the talking. Well, not really of the talking. Alexander Hamilton cannot be tired if talking. He was exhausted from the day, but watching John’s interested face was worth all the afford.  
“How do you know all this?” John asked. That was not the question Alex was expecting. His visibly puzzled expression made John continue. “I might learn all that in school, but they will not teach me the life of Alex Hamilton. And I want to learn about you. Actually, I wanted to say thank you. You saved me. I’ll forever be grateful.” He looked sincere. Alexander’s heart melted at the sight. He smiled and moved to the bed, sitting next to John. His bag was fully packed now. Not much was in there. Just some clothes, some money he saved, ink and paper and some books. It was then that he realized that he didn’t have any personal belongings. Not of value, at least. Even John, Alexander knew, had something from his sisters in the bags, some useless things that reminded him of home. Alexander didn’t really have a home, he realized.  
“I read a lot. Magic is my personal guilty pleasure.” He chuckled a little. “I thought I was mad for a long time. I... knew, somehow, that my mother...was a sorcerer. I never remembered her magic or the discussion, but I still knew. I never told anyone that, they would think I was crazy, she never went to school. However, I always found the subject fascinating and therefore read a lot about it.” He finished awkwardly, not sure if he wanted to say anything else. John looked at him patiently so he swallowed his nerves and continued. “Now it makes more sense, but then... I thought I was irrational when I felt this feeling in my gut. It always happened to me before something bad came. So I call it intuition. Last time I felt it, it brought me to you.” Alexander picked up his gaze and looked at John attentively. John was looking back at him. They were staring at each other in silence, in half-lighted small room, sitting in the same bed. They came through so much together today, Alex thought, that they might call each other friends now. It felt nice. Having a friend. 

Suddenly John looked away, biting his lips. He coughed a little and said: “Let’s go to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”  
Alexander nodded and moved so he was lying on the bed. John looked hesitant.  
“Come on. It’s too cold to sleep on the floor.” He closed his eyes. He felt the bad moving next to him and smiled. With some afford they found a comfortable for both position on a single bed. Alexander registered that he didn’t wash or change his clothes for three days now, but promised himself to change that as soon as possible. His carefully folded change of traveling clothes was resting on top of his bag, waiting for the morning. 

He fell asleep thinking about the great future, that was awaiting him. 

...

In the morning, hopefully fresh and well rested, John and Alexander were on their way to school. It was a pleasant surprise that Washington paid for their horses, so they both were in a good mood. They exchanged a small talk at first, but the ride was mostly silent. Washington mentioned that he teleported here, and how unfair it was that he had to escort them by horses. He also said that this time they have abnormally overcrowded first year. So many people awoke their magic, that the headmaster himself had to go on journeys. But he ensured that for most of them the first year will be the only one. That last part sounded scary but didn’t mean anything bad in particular. 

They made a stop when the sun began to sink below the horizon. Washington made a fire with his hands and smiled at the boys’ amazed faces. They sat by the fire, having late dinner and chatting.  
“Sir?” John started. “May I ask you a question?”  
“Sure.” Washington said. He looked different from the first time they met. More relaxed, smiled, way less annoyed, that’s for sure.  
“I already know that you can make things out of air...” he shook a piece of meat that he was handing above the fire, heating it up. Alexander ate his share cold, too hangry to care. It was not raw after all. “...very tasty things might I say. But do you have any other powers? Sorry if that’s too much. I was just curious.”  
“Don’t worry about, my boy. It’s not too much. You can ask me anything you want. My first, original, power is natural phenomenons, actually. Just like yours. I accidentally made a mudslide on my house when I was twelve. We lived near the mountains and I was very lucky they were not snowy. My father fixed it, of course, but I still moved the family house when I got the chance.” John was nodding and smiling at the story. Alexander felt warm that life was getting better for the guy. Or was it the heat from the fire?  
“Don’t stay up late, boys.” Washington said and left for the night. The two of them stayed, John eating and Alexander watching him. They started talking, sharing funny stories and anecdotes from their lives. Alexander noticed that John’s most stories were connected with his family. His sisters, in particular. John had a sad smile on his face when they felt silent. Alexander tried to lighted the mood with more stories, but yawned in the funny part and spoiled everything. John was laughing nonetheless. Alexander excused himself and also left for the night. While falling asleep he thought he heard some light, barely audible singing. More like humming. He fell asleep, too week to fight exhaustion, not deciding if it was a dream or a reality. 

Three days went like that. Riding, short break for lunch, riding, break for supper and sleep. On the third day when it was time to dismount for supper, something came into view. At first it was a faint glow of the air. When they got closer, Alexander discerned a castle, sparkling like a mirage. He wanted to ask Washington about that but the man saw his opened jaw and laughed. 

“You are not hallucinating, Alex. We just didn’t reach a magical margin, where the picture will become less blurry.” He explained. On John’s puzzled look he smiled. “Only very powerful sorcerers can he the castle from out here, John. There is a special defense spell on it that makes it invisible for everyone behind it’s borders and all common folk even on the territory. They cannot see it even as they walk through it.” Their eye were so fascinated that Washington barked out a laugh at them. 

Just a minute later they presumably crossed the magical border and the castle became fully visible. It was funny to watch John’s reaction, who previously didn’t see a castle. He startled so visibly that even Alex couldn’t bring himself to keep his face straight. It was probably very scary, to see a castle just pop in front of them. 

The building itself was not that impressive by the size, but absolutely breathtaking by the architecture and stile of it. It could not be simply described. Instead of protecting walls there were tall bushes, trimmed and pretty looking. The castle itself was a combination of wall and towers, that were not symmetrical. The tallest tower was round, others were square or rectangular shaped. 

They dismounted and walked to the stable. Alexander didn’t follow Washington’s chatter, trying to consume as much view as possible. He walked where he was lead. They ended up being in, what appeared to be, a dining area. There were two rows of many tables with benches on both sides of them. One table could fit at least five people on each side, plus two small spaces at the heads of the table, that lacked chairs. On the tables he saw some pens and ink, probably, for students to work right during dinner. There was one long table perpendicular to the others, that was on the other end of the dining room. There were chairs instead of benches, that were positioned the way they were facing the room. Alexander assumed that it was a table for teachers, so they could watch the students eat. 

He and John sat on the table and a paper appeared in front of them. John jumped on his seat a little. Washington appeared right next to them, bringing a chair so he could sit at the head of the table. A paper popped in front if him and he took a pan to write on it.  
“You write what you would like to have for dinner. Breakfasts work like a buffet table, but since all students attend lunches and suppers at different time, that was the solution.”

He wrote something on the paper and then put it back on the table. It vanished and a second later a plate of food appeared in front of Washington. There was some chicken and grilled vegetables, looking delicious. There was also a cup of steaming hot tea with a small slice of lemon in it. Washington hummed and started eating. Alexander followed the movement with hungry eyes and took his own paper. He started scribbling as fast as he could. He put his paper with force on the table. His jaw dropped at the sight. A tray full of meat, fresh bread and vegetables appeared in front of him, smelling mouthwatering. On a smaller plate he found a piece of chocolate and some fresh strawberries, just like he asked for. What didn’t appear in front of him, was a flagon of ale. He raised his eyebrows at Washington, who shrugged.  
“You can’t ask for alcohol. At least, not on weekdays. You also cannot ask for anything that is not food. Won’t work.” Washington explained. 

Alexander didn’t mind. He took his first bite of the food and moaned in delight.  
“I could get used to that!” He said with his mouth full. At some point he noticed that John didn’t order anything yet. He fidgeted with his pen, looking pale and anxious. Alexander stopped eating and looked at him, concerned.  
“John? Are you okey?” John helplessly looked at Alex, almost on the verge of tears.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t say this earlier, but I can’t write.” He looked down on his lap, eyes full of shame. 

Alexander wasn’t shocked. It was a common thing where he was from. He felt very lucky that his mother wasn’t entirely a peasant and gave him an education when he was young. But for John it seemed like the end of the world for the moment. 

“Don’t worry. I will help you. You tell me now what you want and then I will teach you how to write.” He suggested. John’s face brightened at the words but then he looked at Washington and soured again.  
“I understand if you want to send me back home now, sir.” He said, his voice shaking. Washington looked surprised at that.  
“No way, my boy! You are here to study, what kind of school would we be if we denied you that because you didn’t know how to do something? No. You are staying. Besides, a lot of students come here without any knowledge. Some cannot read, but we still have to educate them. Please, accept Alexander’s offer so we don’t have to transfer you to the ‘lightened’ classes.”

John looked stunned, his jaw dropped. There were unshed tears in his eyes. He nodded and passes the paper to Alex, who took his pen. 

When they finished their meal, Washington took them to their room, telling the boys about the school along the way. They didn’t get a chance to see the school itself since they were in the living area with chambers and common rooms. But they learned that there was the biggest magical library in the world. Alexander knew that, but played along his amazement so John wouldn’t feel bad about his lack of knowledge. Washington told them about the garden, the stuff kitchen they could use if they missed breakfast, the extra rooms to study if library was not good enough for some reason, the practice area but that was for later education. 

“Here we are boys. Sorry, there are no more single rooms, but we are not used to this number of students. I’m sure if you stick around for a wizardry course, we will find you another room.” Washington said. They entered a small room with three tiny beds in it. The room was very dark since it was already dark outside. The only source of illumination was the candlelight from the hallway. Washington lighted the candles in the room with a swing of his hand. “Since you just arrived, you will start your education the day after tomorrow. Go to sleep now, tomorrow morning is for unpacking. You will have a small chat with the jury of teachers. Don’t worry, they’ll just ask a couple of questions to make your individual timetable.” With that and a small nod, Washington left the room. John looked around placed his begs on the floor in front of the bed, nearest to the window. There was a closet at the foot of the bed. Alexander made his way towards it and opened it. It was half filled with clothes. 

Alexander found that one of the beds was made less perfectly then two others. He assumed that their roommate was out for a while. Alexander found his nightclothes in the bag, but left it mostly packed. Alex changed, dropped his bogy on the mattress, too tired and full of food to keep his mind awake.


End file.
